When Words Fail
by HoneyBear1874
Summary: I'm obsessed with Steven Universe now, so here's a contribution to the fandom starring one of my fav characters. Sour Cream/OC
1. Chapter 1

Buck adjusted his shades with a small sigh as Sour Cream sulked. "Dude, you need to relax."

"Sorry for killing the vibe guys...I just wish he'd get off my case." Sour Cream flopped down onto the grass and stared up at the sky ruefully; Jenny and Buck looked at each other and exchanged small smiles.

"At least your dad isn't constantly hovering over you." Buck supplied as he lounged back on his hands; his sunglasses reflected light from the sunset, making it harder than usual to read his expression.

"Yeah, but at least your dads aren't task masters." Jenny laughed wryly. "I swear, all my dad ever thinks about is pizza, like, I do have a life outside my job, you know?"

Sour Cream continued to stare up at the pink and orange sky, a small frown still on his lips. "He's not even my dad, not really."

Jenny bit her lip. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I gotta get back to work before my dad has a cow." she rose up and stretched as she walked toward the car parked near the bottom of the hill. "Ugh, goodbye new perfume, hello anchovy smell. You guys coming or what?"

Buck stood up and strolled down to the car with a brief nod, but Sour Cream stayed where he was.

"Nah, I'm just gonna chill out here for a bit longer."

Jenny shrugged. "Alright, see you later."

The sounds of the engine faded as Jenny and Buck drove back to town; Sour Cream sighed lightly and sat up, his arms wrapped around his knees. He looked down at Beach City and couldn't help admiring the view, though his pleasant mood was diminished when he remembered he'd get an earful from both his parents once he got home. He knew he shouldn't have walked out like that, but it was too frustrating to handle.

"At least mom supports me….why can't he just get I don't want to spend my time on a stinking boat all day hauling in slimey fish?!" Sour Cream groaned and tucked himself further into a ball.

"Actually fish aren't slimey."

"Huh?"

Sour Cream quickly unfolded his limbs and twisted his head around; there was a girl standing not far behind him, her hands limp at her sides and she seemed surprised for some reason. Maybe she hadn't meant to say anything?

Whatever the reason, the girl smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I was walking around and I just got here when I heard you….fish aren't really slimey, it's just the water that makes them feel that way…"

"Oh. Cool."

There was a pause; neither really seemed to know what to say next.

"What's your name?"

Sour Cream started; after the silence her voice seemed so abrupt. "Uh...they call me Sour Cream."

"I'm Jade. Sorry." she tried to grin bracingly. "I didn't mean to walk in while you were…"

"No, don't apologize." Sour Cream said; he gave her a small smile. "It's not like this is my spot or anything."

The girl laughed politely. "Yeah."

Another brief silence; Sour Cream debated on whether he should leave, but for some reason he found himself speaking unintentionally.

"How do you know about fish?"

Jade looked a bit surprised. "Oh, I think I read it in a book or something. I figure it's good to know a little of everything, right?"

"That's cool." Sour Cream picked at the zipper on his pants cuff. "Um, you don't look familiar. Are you here for tourist season?"

"Mhm." Jade nodded. "Me and my family are here for summer vacation. It's a pretty nice town."

Sour Cream shrugged. "If you like fish maybe."

She didn't laugh, but Jade grinned sincerely. "What do you have against fish?" after a moment of hesitation she sat down next to him with her legs crossed.

"Nothing really," Sour Cream explained. "It's just my stepdad's a fisherman and he thinks it's the greatest job in the world or something and he wants me to be one too. I sort of got in a fight with him and my mom and walked out..." he felt childish saying it aloud to someone else; as a matter of fact he wasn't even sure why he was telling this to a stranger in the first place...still, it didn't feel weird. It felt right to be telling her these things.

"Wow, really?"

Sour Cream cocked his head in slight confusion. Jade was smiling broadly, her face shone with enthusiasm; maybe it was just the dim light hitting her that made her cheeks flush with color and her eyes sparkle-

"Y-yeah." Sour Cream managed to croak out. "It's so lame."

"And he's your step-dad?"

He nodded feeling more baffled. "So?"

"I just think it's sweet." Jade tugged at the hem of her shirt. "I mean, him being your step-dad and all, but he still wants you to follow in his footsteps."

Sour Cream looked down toward Beach City. "Huh…."

"I can see why you'd be frustrated though." Jade continued with a wry smile. "I'm on vacation, but my parents still want me to get into some 'extracurricular activity' while we're here."

"Bummer." Sour Cream replied. "Why are they making you do stuff during summer vacation?"

"It looks good on college applications." she rolled her eyes. "I know they just want to help, but all I really want to do is relax, you know? I wanna talk to my friends and watch T.V., listen to my music-"

"I know right?!" Sour Cream said excitedly. "It's like whenever I'm trying to jam out my step-dad starts bugging me about my music career. I wish he would just let me do what I want to do with my life."

"You're a musician?!" Jade beamed at him. "That's so cool, do you have a band?"

"Nah, it's just me." Sour Cream turned his face away from the sun before his cheeks could turn redder.

"What's your favorite band?" Jade was suddenly very vocal. "Mine is a tie between Purple Lloyd, Deaf Leopard, and The Tumbling Rocks!"

"Uhhh," Sour Cream stared at her blankly. "The who?"

"No, that band's called The Why." she corrected. "They're pretty awesome too though, especially in person. The best bands can play live and still sound good."

Sour Cream perked up. "Hey, what about coming to one of my shows sometime? Get a taste of the coolest scene on Beach City?" he attempted a dashing smile.

"Really?" Jade's eyes widened; Sour Cream shifted in his spot as he felt an odd something squirm in his chest and nodded quickly. "Yeah, totally!" he chuckled and looked down at his lap. "Just you wait til you see my mad DJ skills!" his smile turned sheepish. "And, uh, I'll save you the best glow stuff…"

The girl's brow furrowed slightly. "Glow stuff?"

"Yeah, for the rave!" Sour Cream cheered; his wide smile disappeared at her nervous expression. "What's the matter?"

"It's just…" she began tentatively, one hand ripping at the blade of grass. "I don't really like rave music. I'm more of a rock and roll fan? Techno kind of hurts my head…but I still-"

"Well, I don't just DJ." Sour Cream said quickly.

"You don't?"

"No, I can-play the guitar!" Sour Cream said brightly; Jade smiled in awe.

"How long have you been playing?"

"Oh, for a while." Sour Cream coughed slightly. "Yeah, I write my own music and everything. I'll play for you sometime, if you want..."

"I'd love to hear ." Jade stood up slowly. "It's getting late, I should get going. It was really nice meeting you."

"Same here." Sour Cream replied as Jade turned on her heel and walked down the hill; as he waved goodbye she began jogging back up the slope, her mouth quirked in a smile.

"I can't wait to hear you."

As soon as Jade and her flushed cheeks were out of sight, Sour Cream collapsed on the grass and stared up at the fading sun's light through his fingers.

"Oh boy." he put his hands over his own burning face. "Not good."


	2. Chapter 2

"Ooooh, you're in trouble!" Jenny laughed and attempted to splash Sour Cream from where she sat waist deep in the ocean. "I can't believe you actually said that!"

"You gotta be honest with your friends." Buck chimed in as he lounged on his beach towel.

"I know, I know, it was really dumb, but I panicked." Sour Cream curled in on himself and buried his head in his arms. "I really messed up, I can't tell her I lied, she'll think I'm a lying...liar!"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, everyone makes mistakes. I swear, it's a good thing you got me here." Jenny shook her head and smiled lightly. "Look, there are plenty of other ways to get a girl interested than making up a bogus lie."

"I never said I was interested in her!" Sour Cream protested in a harsh whisper. "Keep your voice down, huh?"

"Oh please boy, all you need is a sign around your neck." Jenny rolled her eyes and relaxed against the slowly rising waves.

Sour Cream's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Huh? What's that mean?"

"It's obvious." Buck drawled.

"Guys-!"

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bug you guys, but the tides are rising higher and you need to-" Jade paused as her eyes landed on Sour Cream. "Oh, hi."

Sour Cream's mouth formed into a thin line. "Uh, hi…."

Buck lowered his shades to stare at Sour Cream. "Obvious."

"Buck!"

Jenny stood up and waved to Jade. "Hey, you're Jade right? Sour Cream didn't tell us you were a lifeguard!"

"Oh yeah, it's my first day actually." Jade smiled back timidly. "But how did you know…?"

"Oh he's told us all about you." Jenny flapped her hand down dismissively and rolled her eyes. "It took us forever to get him to shut-"

"Jade, what were you saying earlier about the high tides?" Sour Cream cast Jenny and Buck a pointed look; Jade only looked at him curiously for a moment before giggling.

"Well, I was saying you guys need to move up the coast." Jade smiled apologetically. "It's a safety thing, we just don't want any accidents."

"Safety's important." Buck said slowly. "Thank you for informing us."

Sour Cream frowned as Jade smiled brightly at Buck.

"Hey, does that mean you can clock out?" Jenny piped up; she gave a sly grin to Sour Cream. "How about we all go fro a drive around the beach?"

"Thank you, that sounds great! But, I need to get home after this, my parents and me are going out to dinner."

"Aw, come on, you can blow it off just this once can't you?" Jenny gave Jade puppy dog eyes. "It'll be a lot of fun~"

"Sorry, but I really shouldn't." Jade replied with a small sigh. "But it was nice meeting you, maybe I'll see you guys around?"

"Sure." Buck nodded; Jenny gave Jade a quick hug. Sour Cream was left facing her awkwardly while Jade smiled a bit expectantly.

"Hey, let me give you this." Jade took out a pen from the lifeguard waist pouch and took Sour Creams hand lightly. He felt the light pressure of the pen's tip scribbling on his palm.

"Your number?" Sour Cream asked; Jade nodded.

"Let me know when you're doing a show, alright?"

"Sure!"

Jade waved to them before jogging back to her post.

"Sour Cream!" Jenny gave her friend a light slap on the back. "Look at you, getting her number without even trying!"

"Yeah…"

Buck frowned and cocked his head to the side. "What's up man?"

Sour Cream bit his lip. "Jade still thinks I can play guitar and rock and roll...I really dropped the ball on this."

"Well, why don't you just learn how to play?" Jenny suggested; at Sour Cream's confused look she shrugged. "I mean, how hard can it be?"

"But how would I even- MR. U!" Sour Cream gasped and smiled widely.

"Guitar dad?" Buck said. "Oh yeah, he taught me a little guitar; he also taught me the importance of hotdogs."

"...what?" Jenny blinked; Buck shrugged, but Sour Cream was off in his own little world.

"This is perfect! My mom said he used to be his own rock band!" Sour Cream began to run off toward the car wash. "He could even teach me to write lyrics! Later guys!"

Jenny and Buck waved as they watched him go.

"Hey, should we tell him it's the other way?"

"He'll figure it out."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ow!" Greg rubbed his head with a wince; he looked over to his right where Sour Cream had practically banged down his van door.

"Mr. U? Are you in there?" Sour Cream called out; Greg opened the door and smiled weakly, his head still throbbing from hitting it on the lamp that was too close to his bed and consequently, too close too his head.

"Hey, long time no see." Greg greeted. "How's it going?"

"I need your help!" Sour Cream's tone was so urgent Greg immediately became worried.

"Are you okay?" Greg frowned slightly. "Oh boy, is the town being overrun by extraterrestrial monsters?"

Sour Cream shook his head. "No."

"Is the ocean still there?"

"Uh, yeah-"

"Oh no, are there spaceships descending on Beach City to wipe us out!?"

"What?! No," Sour Cream said. "I need you to teach me to play the guitar."

"Oh." Greg laughed. "Yeah, that's way better than what I was thinking…."

"So, can you?" Sour Cream asked hopefully.

Greg blinked in slight confusion. "Well, sure, but why? I mean, aren't you a DJ or something?"

Sour Cream fought off the rising warmth in his cheeks; he was hoping his mom's old friend wouldn't bother to ask, but in hindsight it was a pretty strange and sudden request.

"Oh, no reason man." Sour Cream leaned against the van nonchalantly; he hid his sweaty palms in his hoody pockets. "It's like, whatever, why not?"

Sour Cream looked up at Greg shrugging his shoulders; Greg stared at him blankly.

"You like someone, right?"

"Wha-?!"

"I know it when I see it." Greg gave him a playful wink, but his expression soon turned concerned. "Still, why play the guitar? Why don't you just impress them with you're, uh, 'mad DJ skillz'?"

Sour Cream decided to refrain from making a remark and instead found himself slumped down on the ground with a sigh. "Her name's Jade and she loves rock and roll music."

"Oh? I like her already!" Greg grinned.

"Yeah, same here…" Sour Cream couldn't help smiling as Greg patted him on the back. "The thing is, she doesn't like my kind of music, so I….told her I played the guitar too….and I was into rock and roll…"

To Sour Cream's surprise, Greg looked almost disappointed as he plopped down beside him.

"You shouldn't have told her that. It's not true; believe me, it's a bad thing to start a relationship with someone you barely know, let alone only knowing false info. This is the time where you should be yourself." Greg smiled encouragingly, but Sour Cream just sighed.

"I know, but if I learn to play the guitar, it won't be a lie anymore." Sour Cream looked up at Greg pleadingly. "Please Mr. Universe, I need your help; you used to be a one man band! Can't you just teach me just a few things?"

Greg rubbed the back of his neck almost sheepishly. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to teach you a thing or two. You can play a lot of pretty good songs with only a few chords."

"You rock Mr.U!" Sour Cream held out his hand for a high five and Greg returned it with a beaming grin; still, he couldn't help wondering if this was really the best course of action…

"Alright, today I still have to work, but tomorrow we'll get started." Greg stood up and began rummaging through the back of his van; Sour Cream's eyes widened in excitement as Greg produced a somewhat battered acoustic guitar.

"Take this home tonight and just get familiar with the strings." Greg told him as he carefully handed over the instrument. "It's a lot different than the equipment you're used to, but you still need to use that good ear of yours; pay attention to the different sounds and pitches each string makes and experiment with tightening and loosening the them, but be careful how tight you make them, or they can snap."

Sour Cream nodded quickly as he held the guitar in his arms. "Sure thing, I'll be the best guitar player in Beach City; Jade's gonna flip when she hears the song I dedicate for her!"

Greg sighed lightly as Sour Cream began tinkering with the guitar on his way home; a few minutes later Steven was skipping up to the van with their lunch.

"Hey dad, what was Sour Cream doing here?" Steven asked through a mouthful of chips.

"He just wanted me to teach him a little about guitar playing." Greg ate his own food with gusto, but his mind still felt a bit preoccupied. Steven seemed to notice as his own chewing slowed.

"Isn't that a good thing?" he asked curious about his dad's somewhat concerned expression.

"Yeah, but I can't help feeling like he's doing it for the wrong reasons…." Greg smiled brightly at his son's gaze. "Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll always be yourself, huh buddy?"

Steven laughed as Greg mussed up his hair affectionately. "Of course, who else would I be?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay, put your finger-no, the pinky goes riiiight over there." Greg held out his guitar so Sour Cream could properly see the way he was holding it; Sour Cream frowned slightly as he attempted to copy the position.

"Almost," Greg smiled encouragingly as he nudged Sour Cream's pointer finger up the string. "Remember, to make a low pitched sound you need to pluck the string with a bit more force."

"This is really killing my fingers." Sour Cream winced; he could feel another blister coming on already.

Greg repositioned his hands and strummed the guitar lightly. "For now let's just relax and take it easy; you've been working pretty hard over the past few weeks. Have you been practicing at home?"

Sour Cream sheepishly averted his eyes. "Uh, no. Why?"

"You look exhausted."

"I've been staying up late working on this sick beat." Sour Cream smiled widely. "I think it's gonna be my best one yet!"

Greg chuckled lightly. "It's nice to see you excited about something."

"Huh?"

"Be honest Sour Cream, you don't like the lessons do you?" Greg smiled sympathetically as Sour Cream looked at him guiltily.

"I mean, you're awesome for helping me out Mr. U," Sour Cream began. "I'm just not getting this stuff." he carefully laid the battered guitar in his lap with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it." Greg told him. "Why don't we take a break? Go out and have some fun and 'drop a beat' or something."

Sour Cream couldn't help laughing. "Okay, later Mr. U."

Despite appreciating Greg's help, Sour Cream was glad to be gone; every time he picked up the guitar he felt a sense of dread. He still couldn't figure out where to put his fingers or which strings were A or Z or whatever, and he was starting to get blisters on his fingers from the rough metal strings. When Sour Cream was using his sound board and equipment, he felt sure and confident; he knew every click of the buttons, every flips of a switch, and what music it would produce like the back of his hand. He felt like he was creating something special, like a part of him was coming to life with every sound and beat and note.

" _I wonder if that's how Mr. U feels when he plays guitar…"_ Sour Cream thought as he strolled down the beach; he found himself unconsciously gravitating to the spot Jade usually monitored. He would visit nearly everyday; sometimes she was there, sometimes she wasn't. On the days Jade wasn't there, they texted or sometimes emailed; every now and then they both even had the time to call each other.

Sour Cream found his face heating up at the memories; actually, they did all that even on the days they could see each other. It was getting to the point where he felt his day wasn't complete without some sort of contact from her. Today was his lucky day; Jade had just gotten done with her shift and she was racing toward him with a warm smile.

"Hey, good timing!" Jade folded her hand behind her back, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed at her enthusiasm. "Do you want to go to Jenny's? I got a coupon for a half off pizza."

Sour Cream laughed a little. "You know, you don't really need a coupon, she usually give me and Buck pizza for at least a few dollars off."

"Oh no, I couldn't accept that." Jade insisted with a sheepish look. "I barely know her and I'd just feel weird not paying-"

"Then let me pay for you."

Jade blinked at Sour Cream's rushed tone.

"I mean, if I buy it, you won't feel as weird right?" Sour Cream added quickly.

"I guess...thanks, you're always so considerate." Jade nudged his shoulder lightly with hers as they walked. "So when do you want to go?"

"Eh, if it's okay with you, could we just...stay here for a bit?"

Jade nodded. "Sure, I'm not really hungry yet."

Truthfully, Sour Cream was feeling awkward for two reasons; one, he knew his offer to pay might've sounded like he was indirectly asking for a date.

" _Is it a date if I pay? I mean, she's an independent woman and all, so maybe it's not weird to offer? But it is tradition….if I do ask her and let her pay, will she think I just want us hanging as friends?!"_

The second reason is that Sour Cream couldn't help wondering whether Jade could tell that his move to postpone lunch was just a way to monopolize her time.

" _I mean, of course it's fun when we're all together, but…"_ Sour Cream glanced over as Jade turned her head to look at the rolling waves; he wished he could've been as bold as Jenny and asked to take a selfie with her with the glistening ocean as their background, but at the same time he was content to bask in the moment.

Sour Cream smiled softly. "This is really nice."

Jade turned to him with questioning eyes.

"I-I mean, it's great beach weather, am I right?" Sour Cream chuckled as Jade nodded. He would have to watch himself and filter his thoughts to keep them his thoughts.

"Is your step-dad still out to sea?" Jade asked. "I heard it's perfect fishing weather this week."

"Yeah, I guess." Sour Cream rolled his eyes at the last memory he had of Yellowtail.

Jade frowned in worry. "Did you guys argue again?"

"Yeah…" Sour Cream ran a hand through his hair and let it drop to his side heavily. "I forgot to get my chores done and he immediately blamed it on my music." Sour Cream paused. "He always wants to find an excuse for me not to play."

"Why did you forget?" Jade asked knowingly.

"I...fell asleep, cause I was up all night working on a new song." Sour Cream replied guiltily. "But he didn't know that..."

"I get what you're saying." Jade led him to a shady spot under a tree and sat down in the sand; Sour Cream tried not to sit too closely next to her. "My parents mean well, but they're always trying to make me get 'a head start' on everything. I just like to take it slow sometimes, you know?"

"Oh yeah, hanging out with you always helps me find my chill again." Sour Cream told her. "Thanks for listening."

Jade flushed happily. "Any time. So, when can I hear this new song of yours?"

"I don't know, it's not quite done yet…" Sour Cream said uncertainly.

"I still haven't heard you play yet." Jade reminded him with a nudge. "Don't keep me in suspense forever."

"You love music don't you?"

Jade nodded. "Yeah, but it's more than that." she dug her toes into the sand and drew circles in it with her pointer finger; Sour Cream looked at her blankly as she averted her eyes. "It's been so great getting to know you, and I want to know what your world sounds like…does that make sense?"

Sour Cream found himself leaning into her slightly. "Yeah, it does."

Jade leaned back and Sour Cream's felt a pang of guilt in his chest; she didn't know him, at least not really. He was still lying to her about the one thing that defined him, the thing that was closest to his heart.

"Jade," Sour Cream pulled away. "I…"

"Sour Cream?" Jade looked up at him, completely unaware of his inner struggling. Sour Cream gulped and steeled himself for what he knew he needed to do; he needed to do it because this person was quickly becoming something just as close to his heart. It was time to be honest; she wanted to know the real him.

" _And I want her to know me."_ Sour Cream bit the inside of his cheek at the realization. " _More than anything else, I want to share the things I love with her, because…"_

"I have to tell you something."


	5. Chapter 5

Sour Cream took a deep breath. "Jade...I-"

"Get down!" Jade yanked him behind the tree.

"Hey, what are you-?!"

"Look!" Jade shrieked as a wave of sand slammed against the very spot they were sitting. "Wait...who's that kid?!"

"Hey guys!" Steven waved cheerfully with one hand; the other held out his enormous shield. Currently the sand wave was repeatedly trying to break through the barrier.

"Steven, what's happening?!" Sour Cream pulled Jade behind him as Steven was pushed back slightly from the force of the sand's attacks.

"Steven, pull back your shield and hide!" Garnet called out as she made a mad dash for the wave; Steven immediately retracted the shield and ducked behind the tree. Sour Cream and Jade watched in awe as Garnet used her gauntlet to punch a large hole in the sand's form; her whole body fly right through the opening, her fist clenched around a shining object.

"Cover your eyes!" Steven cried out as the huge wave began crashing to the ground, filling the air with billions of floating sand particles. Sour Cream pulled his hoody over his face and covered Jade under his arms.

"Can we get up?" Jade asked hesitantly after a minute.

"Yes, it's gone." Garnet's voice broke through the silence; she bubbled the mangled gem and it disappeared into thin air.

"Who….what was that?" Jade's voice was barely above a whisper as she helped Sour Cream up

"A corrupted gem." Garnet answered bluntly. "It took over the sand's matter and used it as it's own body."

"We're the Crystal Gems and we save people!" Came Steven's reply.

"More or less." Garnet nodded. "You're safe now, I've transported the gem to a underground base where it will remain for all time."

"Cool." Sour Cream gave Steven a thumbs up; to his surprise, both him and Garnet returned it with a smile.

"Thank you." Jade said with a torn smile; she turned to Sour Cream. "So, does this happen a lot?"

"Yeah, you get used to it." he shrugged.

"Oh."

"So whatcha guys up to~?" Steven rocked back and forth on his feet with a mischievous smile.

"Steven, we still need to help Pearl and Amethyst with chores." Garnet reminded him solemnly; Steven pouted slightly as he followed Garnet back to the fortress.

"Oh, by the way-" Garnet looked over her shoulder at Sour Cream. "It'll work out."

"Huh?"

Before he could say anymore, Steven and Garnet were gone.

"Wow." Jade breathed. "That was…"

"I know right?" Sour Cream laughed.

"Are they your friends?" Jade asked as she brushed sand off her pants.

"Steven is, but I don't know his friend that well." Sour Cream answered contemplatively. "They're pretty cool though."

Jade smiled at him. "You were really cool back there."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you tried to protect me...thanks." Jade said softly.

"It's no big deal, you pushed me out of the way too." Sour Cream paused for a moment before brushing some sand off the top of her head.

A little while later they had made their way to Fish Stew Pizza; Kiki greeted them at the door.

"Hey Sour Cream. Oooh are you Jade?"

Jade blinked. "Yes. I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"I'm Kiki, Jenny's favorite twin." Kiki laughed and took out her notepad. "She told me about you; so, what'll you guys have?"

"I'll get a slice of sausage and mushrooms."

"Whoa." Kiki looked at them in disbelief. "Talk about being in sync. Well, two slices of sausage and mushroom pizza coming right up."

As Kiki went behind the counter Sour Cream and Jade stared at each other for a moment before quickly looking away.

"Wow, that was weird."

"Heh, yeah…"

They sat down at a table; Jade began fiddling with the salt shaker and Sour Cream was staring down at his lap.

"Here's your water."

They jumped slightly as Kiki gently placed two ice cold glasses on their table; as she left, Jade meant to reach for her's, but knocked over the salt shaker, spilling a small pile across the surface.

"Whoops, better throw some over your shoulder for good luck." Sour Cream chuckled through a mouthful of cheese; he realized how gross it might look and quickly swallowed.

Jade just grinned cheekily, "But I'm already hanging out with you."

Sour Cream ducked his head and stuffed the rest of his pizza in his mouth; Jade just smiled as she dug into her own food.

"Hey ya'll!" Jenny came bursting through the door with a grin. "Thanks for covering for me Kiki, I brought you back this bracelet!"

"Ooh shiney." Kiki slipped it on as Jenny gave her a hug. "You want some pizza? Oh, and Sour Cream is here with his date."

Jade calmly handed Sour Cream his water as he proceeded to choke.

"Is everything okay?" Kiki asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I gotta get back to work. Jenny, you're on delivery." she pointed toward a stack of pizza boxes.

"Ugh, I know." Jenny tossed on her apron with a groan. "Hey, you guys need a ride anywhere?"

Jade turned to Sour Cream. "Any ideas?"

Sour Cream scratched his head lightly. "How about that hill? It's been awhile since we've been back."

"Sure thing, I gotta order on the way there anyway."

Jade picked up some of the pizza boxes. "Here, let me help."

"Thank you!" Jenny grinned as she held open the door for Jade. "Sorry about the pizza smell in the car."

"I love that smell." Jade giggled as she climbed in the back with Sour Cream.

"Let's put on some music!" Jenny plugged her phone into the car radio and flipped through the music selection. "Thanks for sending me your new playlist Sour Cream, it makes me forget I'm ridin' around in the "Mystery machine'."

"Mystery machine?" Jade echoed.

Jenny nodded and gave her a sly wink. "Yeah, it's a mystery why I haven't gotten into a crash yet."

As they drove on, Sour Cream and Jenny bobbed their heads to the beat while Jade winced slightly at the volume; Sour Cream frowned as she stared out the side of the car with a brief grimace as the bass dropped.

" _She doesn't like it…"_ Sour Cream tried to give her a relaxed smile as they hopped out of the car and made their way up the hill. The sunset was exactly like the one from before. " _I have to tell her, but what if she doesn't…."_

"Sour Cream, look!"

They were standing at the very top of the hill; there were flower petals scattered around the ground.

"It's that mossy stuff." Sour Cream said. "This weird flower moss came to life, but then the sunlight made it grow flowers."

"Kay." Jade blinked and turned back to the floating blossoms; Sour Cream breathed in the fresh scent as the flowers drifted down onto the city.

"Looks like they bloomed again. Steven says it's not safe to stay after dark though. You know, or it'll try to kill us. Here." he shyly handed her one of the blossoms.

Jade held her sides as she began laughing; Sour Cream tilted his head questioningly.

"What?"

"J-just-ahaha!" Jade snorted from the effort of trying to calm down as she gently held the flower; after another second she took a deep breath. "This place is so weird, but I'm having a great time. I don't remember the last time I had so much fun." she trailed off with a chuckle and sniffed the petals with a smile.

"I'm glad."

Jade's smile slowly disappeared. "You don't look glad. Is everything okay?"

"Jade, I-" Sour Cream struggled to look at her. "I can't play guitar."

"W-what?"

"I never knew how, I've never learned how to use any instrument besides my DJ gear." Sour Cream looked her in the eyes. "I lied to you. I don't even really like rock and roll; i just said that because you like it."

"So this whole time...you…" Jade looked down at her hands.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking, I just-"

"This whole time you were lying?!" Jade backed away from him with a frown. "Did you think I wouldn't like you if you weren't into the same music as me? Do you think I'm that shallow?"

"What? No!" Sour Cream tried to take her hand, but she rung it out of his grip.

"Is there anything else you've been lying about?" Jade looked at him bitterly. "I always admired how you were so comfortable with yourself. It's why...I like you so much."

Jade let out a low sigh and let the flower fall from her grip. "You're always telling me how your dad is trying to make you something you're not, that he won't accept you for who you are, but you're pretending to be something you're not!"

Sour Cream was speechless as she turned from him; he remembered all those times she had patiently listened to him, how they had spent all this time getting to know each other, and suddenly he realized how ridiculous it had been to hide such a vital part of himself from her and how he must've meant so much more to her than just the music he played. Why would she even do all that if she didn't care? Why didn't he get this earlier?!

Sour Cream felt his mouth hang open slightly as Jade bit her lip; a soft flush rose to her cheeks as her eyes stared into his own before she defiantly turned away. " _All this time...she felt the same way."_

"Jade, you don't understand, I was just trying to…" Sour Cream felt his mouth go dry as Jade looked at him from over her shoulder.

"Please, just stop. I-I need some time to think." Jade said as she slowly began walking away.

Sour Cream flopped down on the hill and held his head in his hands; he felt a light tickling on his forehead and opened his eyes. The blossom had been blown through the air, it's perfectly shaped petals folded in slightly. He took it in his hand and frowned sadly.

"Jade…I'm sorry."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey Sour Cream!" Steven waved from the side of the van, accidentally spraying Greg with the hose he was gripping. "Oops, sorry dad!"

"Eh, I was gonna take a shower later, but you saved me a trip buddy." Greg laughed and ruffled Steven's hair before turning to Sour Cream. "How's it going? I'll be ready for another lesson just as soon as I finish with this car-"

"Actually Mr. U, I came to return your guitar." Sour Cream smiled and gently handed back the old instrument. "I told Jade the truth."

"That's great!" Greg's face fell seeing Sour Cream's expression. "Right?"

"She's not talking to me…" Sour Cream shrugged a bit. "Thanks for trying to help, it was a pretty sweet time."

"Jade?" Steven piped up. "Hey, she was here yesterday."

"She was?" Sour Cream asked. "When? Did she say anything about me?!"

Steven blinked slowly. "Uh, no….sorry."

"Oh."

"She came over to thank me and Garnet for saving you guys." Steven finished rinsing off the car and put away the hose. "She seemed kinda sad though."

"Yeah, I guess she would be…"

Greg put a hand on Sour Cream's shoulder. "You did the right thing telling her the truth. All you can do now is try to work through it."

"It doesn't feel like I did the right thing." Sour Cream seemed to visibly deflate.

"Well, you started with the wrong thing, but whether she's willing to give you another chance is up to her. Have you not seen her at all since then?"

"You should write a song for her!" Steven said suddenly. "Singing always helps us with our problems!"

"Huh," Greg withdrew his hand and put it to his chin. "We do do that a lot..."

"Use the power of music!"

Sour Cream's expression was still somber. "I was working on that one song, but I don't think she'd even want to see me again. I really messed this up."

"But Jade misses you." Steven protested. "Why else would she be so sad?"

"From the mouths of babes." Greg smiled.

"What?"

"What I'm saying is, Steven's right. If you want to patch things up, you gotta start somewhere." Greg slapped Sour Cream on the back. "Just give it your best shot!"

" _But what if she still hates me?"_ Sour Cream stared up at Jade's front door; after a bit of hesitation, he rang the doorbell and took a deep breath. " _I've got to see her, at least one more time."_

"Hello, who is it?" A soft voice called out as the door creaked open.

"Uh, hi." Sour Cream shuffled his feet on the porch. "Is Jade home?"

The door opened fully; a woman stood in the door frame and a man joined her shortly after.

"Oh, sorry, I think I have the wrong house." Sour Cream began; they were old, maybe 70 or even older, shrunken down and wrinkled; the man was somewhat stern-faced while the woman's expression was delighted.

"No dear, this is where Jade lives. I'm Amelia and this is my husband Harold."

"Are you her grandparents?"

Harold and Amelia exchanged glances as Sour Cream stood there in slight confusion; Jade had never mentioned her grandparents living with her family.

"I guess she didn't tell you…" Harold's hard expression cracked slightly. "We adopted her."

"What?" Sour Cream's eyes widened. "But, she said she lived with her parents."

"Oh Jade." Amelia seemed beside herself, so Harold chimed in.

"That's good to hear, but technically speaking, she isn't our biological daughter." Harold explained. "She never mentioned it?"

"No." Sour Cream shook his head.

"Don't look so down." Amelia said gently. "We'd like to think of jade as our daughter in every sense of the word, and she feels the same way. Are you a friend of hers?"

"Yeah," At least Sour Cream hoped so. "Is she gone?"

"Yes, she left a while ago." Amelia's light expression was marred by a frown. "Has she talked to you lately?"

"No. Is she okay?" Sour Cream was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Oh she's alright, but…" Amelia sighed. "She just doesn't seem like herself lately. She's either holed up in her room or at work or off somewhere. She was so cheerful and now…"

Harold took his wife's hand gently. "Don't worry so much, whatever's going on, I'm sure she'll be fine. Jade just needs some time to think probably."

Amelia nodded with a small smile before turning back to Sour Cream. "Would you like to come inside for a drink? She may be back anytime."

"Thanks, but I need to get going." Sour Cream waved goodbye and felt his spirits fall even farther; Jade was sad and it was his fault.

"She's adopted?" Jenny asked as Sour Cream passed her a soda from the vending machine.

"I didn't even know." Sour Cream said. "You want one Buck?"

"Nah, I shouldn't drink caffeine so late at night."

"So, you guys haven't seen her around have you?" Sour Cream ventured; they shook their heads.

"Sorry man." Buck offered. "She was real nice."

Sour Cream took a sip of his soda. "Yeah...she was."

"Come on, don't give me that talk." Jenny crossed her arms. "You tellin' me after all this time you're just gonna give up?"

"She doesn't want to see me." Sour Cream shrugged. "What can I do?"

"If you don't make the effort, she won't realize how much you care." Buck replied. "You gotta be more open with your feelings. It's good for your soul."

"Yeah what Buck said." Jenny slung an arm around Sour Cream's shoulder. "Jade's crazy about you, she just feel crushed."

"...is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"What I'm saying is that you need to show her you care."

"I don't know how-" Sour Cream gasped and dropped his drink. "This is gonna be awesome."

"Huh?"

"I'll see you later guys!" Sour Cream was suddenly running off, grinning wildly.

Jenny looked to Buck, who shrugged. "I'm the son of a politician, don't expect me to have all the answers."

" _I know there's still a lot we don't know about each other, but if we don't see each other anymore, we'll never get to!"_ Sour Cream's footfalls were heavy on the boardwalk as he raced for his gear at home. " _I need to show Jade the real me!"_


	7. Chapter 7

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" Jamie bent down on one knee, hand folded over his chest where his heart was beating rapidly. "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun; arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon who is already sick and pale with grief!"

Jade was only half listening as she read through her script rapidly. " _Oh man….I won't be able to remember this…"_

"It is my lady! Oh it is my love! Oh that she knew she were...!" Jamie exclaimed passionately; Jade had to admit, he was a pretty convincing. Somehow the words held all the emotion one would expect of a madly in love teenager, yet it wasn't making her want to roll her eyes in disbelief.

"Jade, you missed your cue." Jamie pouted slightly as Jade fumbled with the papers.

"Sorry, I keep losing my place."

"I'm a bit surprised; aren't you familiar at all with the balcony scene?" Jamie sat beside her on the stage, kicking his legs idly as he looked over curiously at her fumnbling. "Even those unfamiliar with the script can usually recall the general lines."

Jade smiled sheepishly. "I know what you mean, I just never really got into the play. You're a great Romeo though, I can't wait to see you perform."

Jamie blushed happily. "It's been my dream to star in a Shakespearian production! Thank you so much for playing Juliet."

"No, it's no trouble." Jade insisted. "I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately."

"Well, don't worry, we're just doing sections from the play after all, you'll be able to just sit through the rest." Jamie said bracingly. "The balcony scene is only about half an hour tops depending on our tempo."

"Jamie, I gotta be honest, I'm really nervous." Jade confessed as she picked at the hem of her shirt. "When I signed up, I wasn't really thinking at the time. I thought, 'Hey, this could be fun, something to fill up my free time.', but now I'm worried I'll get stage fright…"

"But you're wonderful!" Jamie insisted. "Sure, you need a bit more practice with recalling the lines, but when you get into it, I can feel the emotions radiate as if you yourself were feeling them!"

Jade blushed lightly. "Oh really…?"

"Absolutely! If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in love." Jamie's laugh tapered off as he noticed Jade's solemn expression. "Jade?"

"I'm not in love." Jade smiled weakly.

Jamie frowned and looked down at his feet. "Is everything okay?"

Jade sighed and crossed her legs. "To be honest, there's someone I have feelings for and I found out they might not be the person I thought they were. I don't know what to do. I miss them, but I don't know if I can trust them anymore." she groaned in frustration. "It was such a dumb lie, but now I can't help wondering what else he might've been lying about."

"I'm sorry." Jamie looked quite sad for her. "You know the saying, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.'?"

"I don't know about….I mean, I don't think my feelings are that strong, at least not yet." Jade shrugged and picked up her script. She had hoped joining the theater's summer program would help get her mind off Sour Cream, maybe she'd meet new friends. It was fun, but something was missing.

"Jade, do you want to take a break?"

"Nah, let's keep going." Jade shook her head. "Thanks for listening, but we should get back to work."

"Work?! This is art!" Jamie clutched his chest. "We are not simply workers slaving away on toil, we are performers, creating something with pieces of our souls!"

"Oh….that sounds nice."

Jamie hopped off the stage, (Jade winced as he fell over) and stood proudly with his hands on his hips. "Jade, the fact that you have such strong feelings is just what this showcase needs. Channel your energy into the words, make them your own; become Juliet!"

Jade felt a bubble of excitement swell up in her chest and nodded earnestly. "Okay. I'll do my best."

Jamie took a kneeling position once more , he barely even had to look at his script as he recited his line for their farewell. Jade tried her best to sound as sad and lovely as she was sure Juliet would really sound at the person she loved having to leave her.

"Tis' almost morning," Jade sighed and put a hand to her cheek as if fretting. "I would have thee gone, and yet no further than a wanton's bird, who let's it hop a little from her hand."

Jamie gazed up at her with shining eyes. "I would I were that bird."

"Sweet so would I!" Jade cried out with a tender smile.

Jamie reached up pretending as though Jade was standing on a low balcony and not a stage, and took her hand as if they had done it a million times before. In fact, they must have rehearsed this scene over a dozen times, yet each time Jamie's enthusiasm never wavered; they leaned toward each other for a stage kiss and pulled away to complete their scene.

The two of them looked toward the front of the stage as a large crash rang through the room; Sour Cream stood staring at them with wide eyes, a slightly dented cardboard box on the ground in front of him.

"Jade?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh, more auditions!" Jamie clasped his hand together in excitement, not seemingly to read the sudden tense mood; his smile only fell slightly once Sour Cream began marching over to him with a frown.

"Jade and I were just in the middle of a rehearsal, so perhaps you could-"

"Muh!" Sour Cream jabbed a finger in Jamie's chest. "Muhma, mah muh mumah mah MAH!"

"Um," Jamie smiled nervously. "You need to submit what piece you choose to recite before auditions. But that was good! Very passionate."

Jade's anxiety turned to confusion. " _Was that portuguese?"_

Sour Cream's slowly retracted his finger with a sheepish look. "Uh, I….I'm sorry for interrupting."

"No, the more the merrier!" Jamie insisted. "Would you like to sit in on our scene? A live audience may help us get more into character."

"Thanks, but," Sour Cream's voice faltered slightly as he hurriedly began packing back up his gear. "I should get going."

" _What was I thinking?"_ Sour Cream dragged a hand across his face as he practically ran from the building. " _Getting all crazy like that? She probably thinks I'm such a jerk!"_

"Hey, hold on!"

Sour Cream's felt himself tense as he turned to face Jade; she was actually running.

"Sour Cream, what was that?" Jade panted as she tried to catch her breath.

He couldn't say anything for a moment; they just stared at each other silently as the crickets chirped around them, as if they were waiting for the explanation.

"What's that?" Jade asked quietly.

Sour Cream forgot he was holding anything. "Oh-it's my equipment. I use it to DJ."

Jade frowned bitterly. "Right."

"I heard you were helping out with the showcase coming up." Sour Cream said after a moment. "How come it was just you and the mailman dude?"

"I'm only performing a scene from " _Romeo and Juliet"_ with him." Jade replied. "What were you doing there?"

Her stare somehow made him feel nervous and happy at the same time; it was familiar, like the feeling he got before doing a show. Sour Cream smiled a little. " _I guess this is a show technically."_

"What are you smiling about?"

"I came here to see you."

Jade's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I get you're mad I lied," Sour Cream began; as he talked he took the equipment from his box and set it up on the top of a picnic table. "But I didn't mean to hurt you; do you believe that?"

Jade bit her lip. "I do. But why?" she stared at him sadly. "Why would you think that even mattered to me? I would've still gone to one of your shows if you were a mime, because I like **you**! I don't understand, do I-I don't know, do I seem like the kind of person who-"

"No!" Sour Cream's tone made her jump; he blushed and lowered his voice. "I just...wanted you to like me. It was a real dumb move, but I only did it cause-" he took a deep breath; his gear was laid out before him and he felt his confidence peak. "Jade, I need you to listen to this. This is the truth."

Jade stood there dumbly as Sour Cream began pressing buttons and adjusting dials and settings on the various pieces of tech; he never faltered once. It was as he had done it a thousand times before and Jade couldn't help feeling a bit impressed through her suspicion.

And all of a sudden a song began playing.

It had no lyrics, but it seemed as if there were. Jade could hear the techno influence, but there was more to the melody than bass and beeping she had grown accustomed to hearing. There were other sounds; chiming and bells, strumming and a noise that mirrored her own pulse and she briefly wondered whether it just seemed that way or her heartbeat had adjusted itself to the music.

Though there were no words, her mind was conjuring images for each new pitch and tempo; she remembered a sunset and pink flowers and a mellow smile that made her want to smile along. The music tapered off gently and it was over as soon as it began.

Sour Cream slowly took off his headphones and raised his eyes to her's.

"What did you think?"

Jade closed her slightly open mouth. "That was beautiful. I didn't know...it could sound like that."

"Makes you wanna get up and move right?" Sour Cream beamed at her.

"It was electrifying. So that's your real music." Jade smiled bemusedly; Sour Cream nodded.

"It's your music too."

"Huh?" Jade stared as Sour Cream stood up in front of her.

"I heard some of that song in my head when we met and I've been working on it ever since." Sour Cream fiddled with the zipper of his shorts; they found themselves sitting side by side on the bench. "I'm sorry Jade, but you've got to trust me when I say that was the only thing I ever lied about."

He could see a flicker of doubt in her eyes and she sighed heavily. "I'm just not sure how to think of you anymore…"

"How about as a friend?" Sour Cream suggested softly. "I only said what I said, cause I wanted you to like me. I like you; like, I really like you." he chuckled as Jade felt her heart stop. "I really, really, like you. A lot…" he finished lamely.

Jade nudged him with her shoulder. "I really like you too. A lot."

"Yeah?" Sour Cream grinned slowly; his face burned when Jade pecked his cheek swiftly and linked their arms together.

"Yeah." Jade smiled as he leaned into her shoulder. "So, you want to come to the showcase? I'd really be glad if you could root for me…..it's later this week, if you're not busy-"

"Heck yeah!" Sour Cream exclaimed. "Maybe I can help with background stuff."

"Really?" It was Jade's turn to look perturbed, but Sour Cream just nodded enthusiastically.

"I could come up with some sick tracks for the background music!" Sour Cream said. "We can really shake things up, get the whole place raving; hey, you guys need glow sticks?"

Jade laughed and Sour Cream felt proud he had been the one to make her laugh so loudly; there was plenty of time to see every side of each other.

"Hey Jade?"

"What's up?"

"I was thinking during that 'window breaks' line, I could turn up my mixtape and like, all the windows would shatter! Get it?" Sour Cream pumped a fist into the air. "It'd be so awesome!"

"Until everyone gets sent to the hospital."

"Oh yeah...I guess that'd ruin the flow."

"Uh huh."

Even the weird sides.


End file.
